1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to baked products, such as crackers and cookies, having topical flavoring compositions adhered to their surfaces. More particularly, the invention relates to the production of flavoring compositions which can be topically applied to unbaked dough products such as cracker preforms, and subsequently baked together with the preformed dough products to produce an adherent topping which imparts flavor and texture variety to the resultant baked food product.
2. Prior Art
It has been a common practice in the production of baked products, such as crackers or cookies, to apply flavoring compositions topically to the baked products in order to impart flavor and texture variety. Generally the flavor compositions have been applied after the product has been baked using application techniques such as spraying or dipping. An exception to this generalization would be the topical application of a non-heat sensitive mixture to a streusel dough before baking.
Studies of consumer preferences have repeatedly shown that consumers desire flavor and texture variety in food products, particularly baked snack products such as crackers and cookies. Manufacturers of baked goods have sought to achieve flavor and texture variety by the topical application of any number of different flavoring compositions. These compositions often incorporate some type of particulate or crumb-like material to impart textural variety to the product. As an additional advantage, this allows the manufacturer to recycle baked material which would otherwise become waste, such as broken cracker pieces and cracker crumbs. Since many particulate materials are highly susceptible to burning if they are subjected to the baking process, they have normally been applied to the product only after the product has been baked. In order to assure that these materials adhere to the surfaces of the baked products, they are frequently applied in the form of coated particles, usually having an oil-based coating material. Flavoring materials can also be dispersed in the oil. Topical seasoning compositions of this type have not been completely satisfactory for a number of reasons. The particles generally do not adhere tightly to the baked product and may become separated from the product during handling. They may impart an undesirable oiliness to the surface. They may be difficult to apply since the particulate material tends to clog spray nozzles and the oil tends to run off the products. Moreover, it may be difficult to incorporate water-soluble flavoring materials in the oil-based composition. Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a topical flavoring composition which can conveniently be applied to baked dough products and which adheres tightly to the surface of the baked dough product to impart flavor and texture variety.